Now is the Month of Maying
by Elle Knight
Summary: An interesting AU drawing on Fairy Tales with SylarClaire, PeterClaire, and NathanClaire pairings.Written for the Heroes Holiday ficathon on LJ way back in May.


**Now is the Month of Maying**

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At court, there were whispers of who could possibly measure up to the King's expectations. It wasn't until the King's ally, Sir Gabriel Grey had brought his betrothed to court that these whispers ceased. Her name was Lady Claire of Bennet, and she was to be married to Sir Gabriel in just half a year.

Nathan could see that she was barely a woman; 18 at most. He was getting too old to be chasing after the spry, bubbly, and vital ones. He just couldn't stop staring at her for one brief moment. Nathan told no one, and it was one day while in an intense discussion with his younger brother that he knew the situation was hopeless for him. "I'm meeting Lady Claire tonight."

Nathan opened his mouth to caution his brother, discourage him from going to meet this young, fragile beauty, but he kept his mouth shut. Instead, he patted his brother on the back and left the room silently.

So, Nathan watched Peter and Lady Claire, the forbidden fruit being dangled in front of him, daily, as their affair went on behind closed doors. Nathan believed that his feelings remained hooded behind darkened features, but on the 1st of May, he discovered that he was definitely quite mistaken.

May Day was a common celebration in New Yorkfordshire. Their Pagan roots had to be celebrated, as this was part of legend and part of the kingdom's beginning. Long after the women had received their fruit baskets from attracting admirers and disappeared into the woods, Nathan wandered aimlessly, Lady Claire forever on his mind.

"Sire, may I interest you in an apple?" The voice was sweet sounding to his ears, and he noticed Lady Claire watching him from the foot of a nearby tree trunk. Nathan was speechless. Lady Claire studied him curiously, a warm smile never leaving her features. "I've seen you, Sire, watching me sneak off with your dear brother. I know that you'd rather be in his place." She rose from the flower-ridden ground, crossing the wooded path to him. Nathan never moved, never resisted as Lady Claire placed her lips against his and explored his mouth. It didn't take him long to respond.

It wasn't a minute before he was tearing her thin dress off, her bare skin touching his. It was pure ecstasy; every quick breath that came from them, every second that their hearts beat in time with one another. He entered her as gently as he could, and she cried out in joy. She had waited so long for this, and decided, while trailing kisses up and down his jaw line, that she would make it last as long as she could.

It seemed like an eternity later that she was trying to fix the thin shift over her body. Nathan decided it made her look ethereal, like something out of a faery story. This was the way she always seemed to him, except in this very moment. She was real and fragile here in these woods on a humid May morning. He gently tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"Sir Gabriel returns tomorrow, My Lady." the question of where they went from here hung in the air. "This is a magical place," Nathan glanced at the surrounding woods, "we'll always be something in this place, Claire," when he spoke her name, it made her shiver. "We can't hide this outside, but if you need me, we'll come here. Slip me a message, anywhere. Send it from miles away if you must, but I just can't leave you in this very moment. You're too special, too..." _Vulnerable, naive, young. _He wanted so bad to say it, and it made him sad of what Gabriel would force her to become. "You'll always have my love here, Claire." With that, he walked away from her and never looked back.

Those who were watching the woods on that first of May so long ago would have seen the King emerge with a look of level emotion on his face. Moments later, Lady Claire would emerge, her eyes searching for the Prince's almost instantly. To the naked eye, it would seem that the fruit in her basket was untouched, but for the truly observant, it could be noted that the apple was, in fact, mysteriously absent.

There were no little glances between the two in court for the remaining days she wandered about. When Sir Gabriel came to collect her, she said her goodbyes to the dear Prince, who recovered quite quickly, women flocking to him once again like there had been no real interruption. The King, however, was a different story. Early in the mornings when the sun had not quite risen, a letter would often arrive, sealed with light blue wax, an indentation of a flower telling the letter's story. Lady Claire had not forgotten him.

A year had passed since they'd first met in the woods. It was not yet sunrise, and the ground was damp with beads of dew. Nathan laid Claire down in the soft grass, kissing her passionately. True beauty deserved no less passion. For 364 days of the year, Lady Claire went unloved, housed in a lofty, stone castle in a distant corner of the kingdom, but on the first of May her love was there, waiting for her in the woods with open arms.


End file.
